A Lesson In Love
by iloveromance
Summary: Patty's heart goes out to Richard when he learns a painful truth about his father. But making amends for dumping him out of spite might not be so easy. Continuation of the Season 1 episode "The Drop Out"
1. Chapter 1

"What's wrong, Patty?"

At the sound of her cousin's voice, Patty looked up from the book she'd been reading. Or rather, the book she'd been _trying_ to read. She'd been trying for what felt like hours to finish the first chapter of _King Lear_ , but the words on the pages simply blurred together. At the rate she was going, _King Lear_ would be the book that ruined her high school career. The test was in two days but she was no closer to finishing the book (or understanding it) than she'd been on the day that Mrs. Stower introduced her class to it. She was doomed. And when she looked over at Cathy, she could see the worry on her cousin's face.

"Patty, are you sure you're all right? You look… distracted."

With a sigh, Patty sat up and re-positioned her body, tucking her legs underneath her. "I'm fine, Cathy, really. Don't I _look_ fine?"

But Cathy was much too smart for her. She hadn't lived with Patty's family for very long, but Cathy knew when her cousin wasn't telling the truth. "No, actually you _don't_ look fine. You're still thinking about Richard, aren't you?"

At the sound of her boyfriend's name, Patty was on her feet and she began to pace the small space of the bedroom in front of her bed, just as she'd done the night before. And then she paused and looked at her cousin. Sure enough, Cathy was still watching her, waiting for her to tell the truth.

"I can't help it, Cathy. Ever since Mr. Harrison came over and told us about what he had done-."

Cathy nodded sympathetically. "I know. And it was wrong of Richard's father to lie to him the way he did. But Patty, you can't blame yourself."

"But that's just the problem, Cathy. I do blame myself! I was so angry at Richard for even thinking about dropping out of school, for throwing away his dreams of becoming a doctor, of helping people in foreign countries that I practically threatened to dump him!"

"Actually Patty, you did dump him."

Patty gasped at the realization. "Oh no… You're right, Cathy! I did break up with him, didn't I? Oh, Richard must absolutely hate me!"

Cathy shook her head. "I'm sure he doesn't. You were only doing what you thought was right. He can't fault you for that."

"But it wasn't right, Cathy! If only I had known…"

"You had no way of knowing. None of us did. Even Uncle Martin, Aunt Natalie and Ross were fooled."

"Yeah, but now we know the truth. And I don't know what to do about it."

"Patty, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. And I'm sure that Richard will understand. Just talk to him."

"Even if _I_ don't understand, Cathy? Besides, what would I possibly say?"

Cathy smiled and reached for Patty's hand. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, Patty. I know you'll think of something."

As Patty hugged her cousin (An impulse reaction if ever there was one) she sighed. "I certainly hope so, Cathy."


	2. Chapter 2

_(The Next Day)_

The moment that she turned the corner of the crowded hallway, she saw him. He was standing by his locker; his geometry book tucked under one arm. And there was no denying that he looked so handsome, standing there in his red and white letterman sweater. Just last spring he'd lettered in basketball; a sport that he worked really hard at. Patty was prouder than she'd ever been when he'd told her the news. She was certain that one day he'd be a professional basketball player, scoring goals and wining championships. But Richard had his heart set on being a doctor; a profession that was impressive in its own right. Now she wished, oh how she wished, that she had praised him more often.

Looking at him now, she realized how upset he really was. What boy wouldn't be after finding out that his father lied to him? The thought made her shudder; for she knew that Pappo would never do anything so cruel. Martin Lane was the best Pappo that a girl could ever ask for and she vowed at that moment that things would be different between her and her father from that day foreword. She was so ashamed to admit that she had lied to her Pappo on occasion. Some of those lies had been white, but some were as big as every color of the rainbow. It hurt to think of how many of those lies he so easily believed. And as she looked at Richard, she was sure that he was hurting as well. And her heart went out to him.

She was so angry when Richard threatened to drop out of school that she had dumped him. H ow could Richard have possibly considered doing something as stupid as dropping out of school? To throw away his dreams of becoming a doctor; the dreams that he'd shared with her so many times?

To provide for his family, that's how.

The more she thought about what Mr. Harrison had told Richard; that the family had lost two million dollars, making Richard come to the assumption that his family was broke. It was such a cruel, terrible trick to play on his own son, even if Richard had made his father angry by telling him that he was dropping out of school.

And Patty was equally to blame. For it was she who had tried to get back at Richard by telling him that she in turn would be drooping out of school. Her efforts had failed miserably, and now Richard was as miserable as she. It was time to make things right.


	3. Chapter 3

Without giving it another thought, Patty took a deep breath and went to him. He stood there by his locker, barely aware of her presence. And finally she reached out and touched his shoulder. Gently, of course.

He turned to her, his eyes wide with surprise. "Patty? What are you doing here?"

It was a ridiculous question, for he knew darn well why she was there, standing in front of him in a crowded hallway. They were in school, after all. But she couldn't bring herself to give him a sarcastic answer.

"H-Hello, Richard." She couldn't believe how nervous she was. What was the matter with her? This was crazy. Richard wasn't the new kid in school. He was her boyfriend! Or… at least he used to be. However, she couldn't help the way that she felt.

Silence followed; silence that was much too awkward. And Patty knew that she had to say something. If she didn't say something now; the something that she really needed to say, she never would.

"Um… Richard, can I talk to you?"

"Well, we are talking so I guess you can."

She ignored his sarcastic comment and sighed. "Actually, not here, okay? I was thinking that maybe we could talk somewhere else."

He looked at her blankly for a second. "Well, we have two classes together. So I guess we could talk then. See ya around, Patty."

He'd barely taken two steps when she grabbed his arm in what could only be called desperation. "Richard, wait!"

He turned around and stared at her. "Okay, I'm waiting."

"Um, when I said that I wanted to talk to you somewhere else, I meant somewhere outside of school."

His eyebrows rose. "Well, okay, but that doesn't leave many places-."

"How about the Shake Shop?"

As she expected, he frowned. "Nah, I don't think so."

Although she shouldn't have been surprised at his answer, her heart sank. It was stupid to suggest the place where they'd gone on so many dates together, sharing French fries, chocolate shakes and dreams of their futures. But somehow the Shake Shop seemed like the best place.

"Richard, please!" She begged. "Look, I know that the Shake Shop isn't an ideal place to meet, but under the circumstances-."

When he looked at her again, she saw the anger in his eyes, and it was difficult to keep from crying. He had no idea how difficult.

"Look Patty, whatever you gotta say to me, you can say it right here in this hallway!"

Patty swallowed hard but the words that she wanted to say simply wouldn't come. And she knew that Richard was not in the mood to wait.

"Fine, _be_ that way!" Richard scoffed.

As she watched him walk away, the tears that she'd been holding in began to make their way down her cheeks. But she refused to give up. For Patty Lane _never_ gave up; especially when it came to someone she cared about.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, how did it go? Did you talk to him?"

Patty sighed deeply, moving her mashed potatoes around on her tray. Or at least they were supposed to be mashed potatoes. Sometimes in a high school cafeteria, it was hard to tell. "No." She replied glumly. "Well, I mean I talked to him, or tried to, anyway, but it's no use."

"Why not?"

She turned to her cousin. "Because, Cathy! He hates me! I told him that I wanted to talk to him and he thought I meant right that very minute! But I can't talk to him about something so personal at school! And then I did the dumbest thing ever!"

Cathy's eyes widened. "What did you do?"

"I-.." Her throat was so dry that she could barely get the words out, even after taking a long sip of her milk.

"Patty, come on. Whatever you did, it couldn't have been that bad!"

"It was _worse_ , Cathy! I suggested that we go to the Shake Shop!"

To Patty's annoyance, Cathy practically squealed with delight. "Oh Patty, that's a wonderful idea!"

Patty couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wonderful? It's terrible Cathy! Now Richard will never speak to me again!"

"What's so terrible about it?"

"It's the Shake Shop, Cathy! The place where Richard and I spent so much time together!"

"Well then, it's perfect! You're comfortable there, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose. We have had some lengthy conversations. In fact, the Shake Shop is where Richard first told me that he wanted to be a doctor."

"See? You made the right decision, Patty. You should be proud of yourself!"

"Oh, who am I kidding, Cathy? There's no way that Richard will agree to meet me there! He stormed off the minute that I mentioned it!"

"Well, who's to say that he won't show up at the Shake Shop after school anyway?"

"Me, that's who, Cathy."

"But Patty, you don't know that for sure."

"Even if he was there, how would I know?"

Cathy grinned. "There's only one way to find out."


	5. Chapter 5

The closer it came to three o' clock, the more nervous Patty become. Despite the encouragement of her well-meaning cousin, Patty knew that Cathy was being overly-optimistic. Patty knew darn well that Richard would not be there waiting for her at the Shake Shop. And she certainly couldn't blame him. She'd broken up with him; a fact that had resonated in her mind since the moment she'd told him that they were through.

Drat! Why had she done such a stupid thing? At this point she'd never find another boyfriend. Not that she wanted anyone else, but even so, her chance at happiness was lost.

The school bell rang (finally!) and around her the other kids sprang out of their seats and raced to the door as though there was a prize for being the first one out of the room. And not surprisingly none of them paid the slightest attention to Mrs. Morrison, who was giving yet another homework assignment.

"Be sure and read the final chapters of _King Lear_ and be prepared to discuss it tomorrow." Mrs. Morrison spoke loudly enough to be heard above the ruckus, but seemed oblivious to the fact that pretty much no one was listening. "The test will be on Friday." She continued.

Patty quickly gathered her books and headed for the door, making a mental note to do the homework that Mrs. Morrison had assigned. Of course, it would be easier said than done. Reading the material wasn't the problem. It was the comprehending that was trouble with a Capitol T. She'd already come to the conclusion that in her emotional state, trying to understand Shakespeare, let alone _King Lear_ , was downright impossible.

Grateful that Mrs. Morrison hadn't kept her after class for a talk (the way she usually did), Patty hurried to her locker. She grabbed her coat and pushed her way through the sea of kids, ignoring the sound of her name echoing through the hallways. She'd talk to her friends later. But at the moment she had something else on her mind. Or rather, someone else.

With brisk, wide steps she walked out of the school building and didn't stop until she reached Miller Street. When she stopped at the corner, she peered across the street and her heart beat rapidly at the sight. For there, almost diagonal to where she was standing, was the Shake Shop.

Her heart fluttered in anticipation of what she might (or might not) find when she arrived. But she prepared herself for the disappointment that she was sure would come. The bell chimed above her head; a result of pushing the metal handle of the glass door and she was greeted with the familiar sounds of her favorite song. It was one that she'd heard many times before; and one that always coaxed Richard to pull her onto the dance floor and into his arms.

But now it hurt just to listen to it.

She looked around the Shake Shop, her eyes scanning the many familiar faces. But Richard's handsome face wasn't one of them.


	6. Chapter 6

With a sigh, she walked to a corner booth and slid onto the slick vinyl seat. Almost immediately she was greeted by Raymond, the college kid who worked at the Shake Shop part time to supplement his college tuition.

"Hey Patty. Where's Richard?"

The sound of her former boyfriend's name caused an ache in her heart that made it difficult to breathe. And she found that she couldn't look Raymond in the eye. "Oh… h-he's… Actually, Raymond, I don't know where Richard is."

Daringly her gaze returned to Raymond, who, to her relief, had a smile on his face. At least he hadn't noticed the distress in her voice.

"Well, it's early, so he's probably at track practice. I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later. I can get him something if you want and it'll be waiting for him when he gets here. He likes malts, right?"

"Yes." She said softly. The word was so soft that she could barely hear it. But amazingly Raymond's hearing was much better than hers.

"What flavor does he like again? I can't believe I've forgotten."

Patty swallowed hard. "Chocolate. H-he likes chocolate." And so do I. She added silently.

"One chocolate malt coming right up." Raymond said, writing down the order. "Two straws, of course. And some french fries."

"Um… right… I had forgotten about-."

"Don't worry about it. You and Richard are regulars. I make sure to take care of them. You kids are what keep this place in business. It's not my shop of course, but I need this job, you see? So it's the least I can do."

"T-thanks." Patty said her voice dangerously close to breaking. Again her heart clinched in her chest. Why was she so nervous?

Raymond was back within minutes, placing the frosty chocolate malt in front of her and then handed her two paper straws.

"Enjoy. Your fries should be up soon."

"Thanks." She said in the same inaudible voice.

When Raymond was gone, Patty unwrapped one of the straws and put it to her mouth. With a gentle puff, the white wrapper sailed into the air and floated to the ground. It was a sight that always made Richard laugh. But she wasn't laughing now. She'd been staring at the door ever since she walked into the Shake Shop. And it was obvious.

Richard wasn't coming.

She kept her head down, attempting to read _King Lear_ , but the only thing she saw on the page were the blurry words and her teardrops.

"Hey, there you are, Patty! Gee, I was looking all over for ya! This isn't our usual booth! But it's pretty crowded in here, so I guess-."

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Richard…"

"Yeah, of course it's me." He said. "I hope you weren't expecting someone else. I-."

"Richard…" She gasped at the sight of him and slid out of the booth. The second she got to her feet, she engulfed him into her arms, holding him as tightly as she could.

And she never, ever wanted to let go.


	7. Chapter 7

He was holding her so close that she barely noticed how emotional she'd become. It felt so good to be held, even if the affection he was showering upon her wasn't at all deserved.

"Hey Patty, what's wrong?" he was asking. "Why are you so upset?"

She clung to him even tighter. "Oh Richard, I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you? For what? What are you talking about?"

She drew back and looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? I can't believe that you don't know!"

"Know _what_? Look Patty, I don't know what's going on here, all right? All I know is that you told me at school that you wanted me to meet you here so that we could talk."

"Well, yes, but-."

"We're here, aren't we?"

"Of course, but Richard-."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

She looked around uneasily. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have. She took his hand and led him to the booth. Almost immediately his eyes widened and a huge grin formed on his face.

"Hey! Chocolate shakes! And french fries! Boy, Patty! This is some surprise!"

He slid into the booth and began munching on the fries. Her heart aching, she slid into the seat across from him. The food certainly was tempting and it was romantic in a way to share a milkshake with a steady boyfriend. But Richard wasn't her boyfriend, not anymore. And she was afraid that once he knew the truth, he might not even be her friend.

Suddenly he stopped eating mid-french fry and stared at her. "Patty, what's wrong? You're not eating. I know how much you love French fries and chocolate shakes."  
She sighed. Must boys always think with their stomachs? Sometimes they could be downright exasperating! "Richard-."

"Hey, why are you sitting way over there? I'm not contagious you know!" He laughed out loud at his poor attempt at humor, but she didn't find it very funny.

She climbed out of the booth and made her way to where he sat. "This is serious, all right? I really need to talk to you!"

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

She swallowed hard. "Us."

His eyes narrowed. "What about us? Patty, you're acting really strange. What's going on?"

"Richard, I'm sorry." It was a terrible way to apologize, by blurting it out as though it had no meaning. But once the words were out there was no taking them back. What was done was done. The ball, as they said, was in his court.

"What are you sorry for? You don't-."

"Please, Richard, let me finish, all right? If I don't get this out, I might not be able to get through this!"

He leaned back and stared at her. "Oh… It sounds serious."

Her heart was racing so rapidly that she was sure he could hear it. She had no idea what to say to him, no idea at all. But she knew that she had to say something. Their relationship (and her sanity) depended on it)

"Richard, I'm sorry." She said again. "When I dumped you, I thought that you had just decided to quit school because you were tired of going."

"Tired of going? That's ridiculous! You know how much I want to be a doctor and help people in foreign countries! I'm not about to give that up!"

She blinked back tears. "I know Richard, and it's wonderful but I thought-."

"What did you think?"

Without being asked, she slid into the booth beside him and looked him deeply in the eyes. "Oh Richard, I had no idea that your father had told you that terrible lie about your family losing all of that money!"

"Well, it wasn't a lie. We really did lose it. And besides, he didn't mean anything by it, He was just telling us for our own good."

"Your own good? But it's terrible, Richard!"

"What's so terrible about it?"

"The way he made you think that your family had gone completely broke! Worrying you the way he did!"

She was sobbing now and she knew that she looked like a complete mess. "Boy Patty, what's gotten into you?"

The tears were streaming down her face and she could barely make eye contact with Richard let alone anyone else in the Shake Shop. But she didn't care. All she cared about was Richard and about earning his forgiveness.

"I'm sorry about that, Richard. I'm so sorry! Will you please take me back?"

"Take you back?"

"Yes, I know I don't deserve it. I am the one who dumped you after all, but I'm begging you, Richard. Please!"

"What kind of crazy question is hat? Of course I'll take you back!"

Patty gasped in delight. "You will?"

"As far as I'm concerned I never lost you to begin with."

"Oh Richard!"

Before he could react, she threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Thank you, Richard! Thank you!"

"Wow, you're welcome, Patty. That's some gratitude! But you don't have to worry, all right? You'll always be my girl, no matter what."

"Really?"

"Is the sky blue and the grass green? Of course they are! Now let's finish these fries and this chocolate shake so that we can order some more."

Suddenly she remembered the book in her hand and a wave of guilt came over her. "Richard? I don't deserve it, but will you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Patty. What is it?"

"Explain _King Lear_?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to help you. Now what did you need help with?"

"All of it. I don't have a clue what it's about or what it all means. I'm doomed!"

He took the book from her and opened it to the first page. "Okay, well on Page One…"

She leaned against him and sighed. Learning Shakespeare had never been so enjoyable.

 _THE END_


End file.
